Yieldable barrier with mechanical stop signal



Oct. 30, 1928. `1,689,257

' E. D.,sAwYER YIELDAYBLE BARRIER WITH MECHANICAL STOP SIGNAL Filed Nov. 2, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 30, 1928. 1,689,257

y E. D. sAwYER YIELDABLE BARRIER WITH MECHANICAL STOP SIGNAL Filed Nov. 2, v1.925 2 SheetLs-Sheet 2 5 I W i 5 l'hn l u Patented Oct. 3o, 1928.

UNITED STATES mais? EMERSON D. SAWYER,

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

YIELDABLE BARRIER WITH MECHANICAL STOP SIGNAL.

Application led November 2, 1925. Serial No. 66,298.

My invention relates to certain novel improvements in yieldable barriers equipped with mechanical stop signals, and has for its principal object the provision of a yieldable barrier construction, which includes a movable stop signal so connected mechanically to the barrier proper that this movable signal will come into position over a part of the protected roadway, at a position well within the vertical range of vision of an approaching motorist, suddenly and about two or three seconds before the net of the yieldable barrier can be lowered to a position which would engage the top of an ordinary motor car.

The second object of my invention, is to provide a movable semaphore stop signal, so interlocked mechanically with the movable mechanical parts of the yieldable barrier, such that this semaphore must function fully during the first. .few inches of the downward travel of the barrier net, remain fully visible during the time that the net is in its operative position across the roadway and be raised by the movable mechanical parts of the barrier during the last few inches of their upward travel.

The present invention is an improvement over the combinations now in use in yieldable barrier installations, such as independent lighted wooden gates, placed ahead of the barrier net and interlocked electrically with the motors of the barriers.

A motorist approaching a crossing, protected only by yieldable barriers, may be within about onehundred feet of the barrier, when the net is started down, thus making the motorist liable to injury due to the down-coming net, the stop signal above the roadway on the portal of the barrier, not being within his field of vision. If safety gates were used ahead of the barrier they would necessarily be lowered ahead of the barrier net and thus be well within the vertical range of vision of the motorist. It is not commercially, economical to use both gates and barriers on a'crossing.

'The present invention eliminates the necessity of having to place safety gates ahead of the barrier. The semaphore stop'signal of the present invention is located low enough on the barrier column to be within the vertical range of vision of the approaching motorist. This semaphore is also'flashed into vision two or three seconds aheadof the lowering of the barrier net and thus prevents the motorist from unknowingly striking the top of his maown preliminary warningl and in ample time,

so that no motorist is jeopardized by the possibility of the barrier net striking the top of his motor car.

The invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

This invention is an improvement over the yieldable barrier devices disclosed in my previous application for patents, on yielding or yieldable barriers, a list of which follows:

Serial #525,235, filed Dec. 27, 1921.

Serial #573,758, filed July 8, 1922.

Serial #639,366, filed May 16, 1923.

Serial #639,865, filed May 16, 1928.

Serial #18,189 (series of 1925) filed March 25,1925.

Serial #18,190 (series of 1925), filed March 2,5, 1925.

Serial #52,081 (series of 1925), liled August 24, 1925.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which Fig. 1 is a general front elevational view of a yieldable barrier, showing the roadway networl, in its fully lowered position, as well as indicated in its fully raised or up position, and also in the partially lowered position it assumes at the same time the semaphore stop signal on the right-hand column has been fulljT lowered to its visible` position.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation, taken on the line A A of Fig. 1, showing the semaphore stop warning swung up to its hidden position,v enthe back side of the column.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the column on which the semaphore is mounted taken on the line B B of Fig. 2.

'Fig l1 is a detail elevationv of the same column" shown in Fig. 8 and in the direction C C.

Fig. 5 is a detail elevation of the column shown in Fig. 8 and taken in the direction D D of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a detail front view of the part of the column, where the semaphore is located, showing the semaphore in its visibleposition, together with its illuminating light. This view is taken in the direction 1S ld of Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is also a sectional view taken on line F F of Fig. 4.

Referring particularly to Fig. 1, the numeral 1 indicates the column or standard of a yieldable barrier, numeral 2 indicates the barrier net in its lowered or operative positio-n, in front of an automobile 1'?. Numeral 2f indicates thel raised or inoperative position of the net, and 2" the net in slightly lowered posit-ion, which itassumes in the same interval of time that it takes the semaphore stop sign at 4'L1 to be lowered to its fully visible position at 4. y

The net 2 is supported in a taut. position across the roadway, by being attached to synchronized carriages 3, mounted so as to move vertically within the columns 1 to such positions as 3a and 3b.

A large stop sign 18 is attached to the portal between the columns 1, and serves to warn motorists approaching the crossing from a distance, when the crossing is blocked to tratiic.

lNhen a motorist riding in such a car as indicated by the numeral 1'?, has approached. within about a hundred or two hundred feet of the barrier and the stop 18 is flashed on, showing that the barrier is to start down, it may not be possible for that motorist to see the sign 18 on account of its being above his vertical range of vision. In such a case the semaphore stop signal when suddenly dropped into view from position 4 to position 4, and left vibrating up and down, due to the jiggle spring indicated at 6 gives the close-up motorist a quick and positive warning to stop, which he can readily do in the hundred feet he has ahead of the barrier.

The ordinary time that is taken to lower the net from a position such as 2a to 2, is about six or seven seconds. Thus the time taken to lower the net to such av position as indicated at 2b, would be about one-half of one second. Hence the semaphore stop signal in dropping from position 4 to 4, would consume about one-half of a second of time. This would place this stop signal well within the vertical range of the motorists vision and out over a part of the roadway, about three seconds ahead of the time that the net would be low enough to strike the top of the motor car. This three seconds is ample to stop practically any machine with its own brakes.

A light 16 is placed on the face side4 of the columnil, so as to illuminate the glazed surface of the semaphore at position 4. Obviously, the semaphore itself may be directly illuminated.

Now referring to Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6,

showing the details of the interlocking of the mechanical parts of the barrier, and the parts which function the semaphor The semaphore at 4 is mounted on the pin 5 by the flexible jiggle spring 6. The pin 5 is revolvably mounted in bea 'ing 7. The crank arm 8 is secured to the pin 5 and pivotally connected at its outer end, to the connecting rod 9. This connecting rod 9 projects upwardly along the back side of the column 1. At its upper end it is pivotally connected to ai sliding hook, which is indicated in a raised position by the numeral 10?L and in a lowered position by the numeral 10.

The allowable vertical travel of the hook from position 19 to 10, corresponds to the distance between the raised and lowered positions ofthe crank arm as indicated at 8il and 8. The angular distance between the crank positions 8Ll and 8 is 90 degrees.7 which is the angular distance the semaphore travels from position 4a to 4.

The hook indicated in positions 10 and 101 slidably mounted within cover box 11 and attached to the sliding hook is a spring 13, which normally forces the hook towards its lowered position at 10, or toward the bottom of the slot 12 which is cut in the column 1.

Within the column 1 the carriage which moves vertically assumes the position 3a, when the barrier net is raised and the hook at 10l which overhangs the carriage Vis also forced to assume that position, due to the raised carriage. When the carriage islowered to position 3b the spring 13 forces the hook to position 10, and this in turn through the means of connecting rod 9 and crank arm 8, throws the semaphore out to its visible position 4. y

Springs 14 and 15 are provided so as to ease the blow on the hook, as it is moved up or down. Spring 14 eases the upward blow of the carriage as it moves into the position 3 and thus moves the hook up to position 10a, while spring 15 eases the impact of the blow when the hook. being forced to position 10 by the spring 18 is stopped at the lower end of slot 12.

The sudden movement of the operating hook up and down between its positions 10 and 10a would place an extra strain on the other connected parts, such as connecting rod 9, crank arm 8, shaft 5 and bearing 7. were it not for the fact that the iiggle spring in being forced from position 6a to 6 deflects from its true form and accumulatively overcomes the inertia of the semaphore. as it is moved from position 4a to 4. Another function of the jiggle spring, especially when in its position 6, is to permit the semaphore in its position 4 to vibrate up and down slightly, thus making the semaphore more noticeable to the motorists.

In Figures 3 and 6 is shown the light 16, which will present a red face to the oncoming trafic, when the barrier is about to be lowered, and throw a white light onto the face of the semaphore when in the position 4:.

From the above description it is seen that once the barrier net is started downward it travels only a few inches, to a position such as 2b, while the semaphore is brought fully into view as at 4. Should the operator of the bar'- rier desire, due to an emergency, he can stop the barrier motor at this point and keep the stop signal semaphore out over the roadway, until the emergency has passed, thus blocking the roadway by signal, but not obstructing it.

Then by starting the motor again, the net continues downwardly. On the upward trip of the net, the semaphore. is automatically lifted.

The arrangement of the parts of my invention, as shown and described, produces the necessary time element between the flashing of a visual warning to stop, and the placing of an obstruction across the roadway with out introducing further complica-tions for the operator or necessitating the interlocking of the visual warning arm, with the positive stopping deviceby any costly electrical timing element.

My invention also obviates the use of additional stop gates, interlocked with the barrier electrically for operation up and down, and also requiring the introduction of the time element device, as well as additional driving motors.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention, into effect, this is capable of variation and modification, without departing from the lspirit of the invention. I, there fore, do? not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come Within the scope of the appended claim.

I-Iaving described my invention, 'what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

The combination consisting of a yieldable barrier carried by movable carriages, the carriages being mounted to slide in columns at each end of the barrier, a stop signal semaphore mounted on a flexible arm, said arm attached to a shaft revolvably mounted within a bearing on said column, a crank attached to the shaft, a connecting rod connected to the crank, the connecting rod being pivotally mounted at its upper end to a slidable hook and the tip of said hook cushioned and set so as to be in contact with the moveable carriage of the barrier during the first increment of the'downward travel of said carriage and during the last increment of the upper travel of the carriage, together with a spring means for forcing the hoolr downward, all substantially as described and shown. i

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

EMERSON D. SAVVYER. 

